The Romans adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture for their own purposes, which were so different from Greek buildings as to create a new architectural style. The two styles are often considered one body of classical architecture. Sometimes that approach is productive, and sometimes it hinders understanding by causing us to judge Roman buildings by Greek standards.

Roman architecture represents a fusion of traditional Greek elements, notably the trabeated orders, with new structural principles based on the development of the arch and of a new building material, concrete. The Romans achieved originality in building very late in their existence; for the whole of the republican period, Roman architecture was a nearly exact copy of that of Greece, aside from the Etruscan contribution of the arch, and its later three-dimensional counterpart, the dome. The only two developments of any significance were the Tuscan and Composite orders; the first being a shortened, simplified variant on the Doric order and the Composite being a tall order with the floral decoration of the Corinthian and the scrolls of the Ionic.

Innovation started in the first century B.C., with the invention of concrete, a stronger and readily available substitute for stone. Tile-covered concrete quickly supplanted marble as the primary building material and more daring buildings soon followed, with great pillars supporting broad arches and domes rather than dense lines of columns suspending flat architraves. The freedom of concrete also inspired the colonnade screen, a row of purely decorative columns in front of a load-bearing wall. In smaller-scale architecture, concrete's strength freed the floor plan from rectangular cells to a more free-flowing environment.

On return from campaigns in Greece, the general Sulla returned with what is probably the most well-known element of the early imperial period: the mosaic, a decoration of colorful chips of stone inset into cement. This tiling method took the empire by storm in the late first century and the second century and in the Roman home joined the well known mural in decorating floors, walls, and grottoes in geometric and pictorial designs.

Though most would consider concrete the Roman contribution most relevant to the modern world, the Empire's style of architecture, though no longer used with any great frequency, can still be seen throughout Europe and North America in the arches and domes of many governmental and religious buildings.

BUILDINGS AND TYPES OF BUILDING INCLUDE

Amphitheatre :
The name amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is given to a public building of the Classical period (being particularly associated with ancient Rome) which was used for spectator sports, games and displays.

Apart from function, the important outward distinction between an amphitheatre and a theatre is that an amphitheatre is round or oval in shape (whereas a theatre is semi-circular). However, an amphitheatre differs from a circus, which was used for racing and looked more like a very long, narrow horse shoe.

The best-known amphitheatre in the world is the Roman Colosseum, which is more correctly termed the Flavian amphitheatre (Amphitheatrum Flavium), after the Flavian dynasty who had it built.

An amphitheatre in a community became a prized symbol of Roman citizenship in the outlying areas of Italy. In the small town of Larino, in the Molise, a man who had made his fortune in far away Rome financed the construction of an oval amphitheatre that could house ten thousand spectators. In fact, the amphitheatre in Larino predates the Colosseum.

Aqueduct :
An aqueduct is an artificial (man-made) channel that is constructed to convey water from one location to another. The word derives from the Latin words aqua, "water", and ducere, "to lead".

Many aqueducts are raised above the landscape, resembling bridges rather than rivers. Sufficiently large aqueducts may also be usable by ships. They are a kind of viaduct, carrying water instead of a road or railway. While a road bridge often carries the roadway at a more elevated level than the rest of the road, such a variation of height is not possible for an aqueduct.

Basilica :
The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek basiliké stoŕ, royal stoa), was originally used to describe a Roman public building (as in Greece, mainly a tribunal), usually located at the centre of a Roman town (forum). In Hellenistic cities, public basilicas appeared in the 2nd century BC.

After the Roman Empire became officially Christian, the term came by extension to refer to a large, and important church that has been given special ceremonial rights by the Pope, and thus the word retains two senses today, in an architectural context and in an ecclesiastical one.

Bridges :
Bridges, built by ancient Romans, were the first large and lasting bridges built.

Roman bridges were built with stone and had the arch as its basic structure. Built in 179 BC, the Rotto bridge, in Rome, Italy, is the oldest roman bridge.

Circus Maximus :
The Circus Maximus (Latin for largest circle) is an ancient arena and mass entertainment venue located in Rome, Italy.

Situated in the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills the location was first utilised for public games and entertainment by the Etruscan kings of Rome. Certainly, the first games of the Ludi Romani (Roman Games) were staged on the location by Tarquinius Priscus, the first Etruscan ruler of Rome. Somewhat later, the Circus was the site of public games and festivals influenced by the Greeks in the 2nd century BC. Meeting the demands of the Roman citizenry for mass public entertainment on a lavish scale, Julius Caesar expanded the Circus around 50 BC, after which the track measured approximately 600 metres in length, 225 metres in breadth and could accommodate an estimated 150,000 seated spectators (many more, perhaps an equal number again, could view the games by standing, crowding and lining the adjoining hills). In 81 AD, the Senate built a triple arch honoring Titus by the closed East end (not to be confused with the Arch of Titus over the Via Sacra on the opposite side of the Palatinum). The emperor Domitian connected his new palace on the Palatine to the Circus in order that he could more easily view the races. The emperor Trajan later added another 5000 seats and expanded the emperor's seating in order to increase his public visibility during the games.

The most important event at the Circus was chariot racing. The track could hold 12 chariots, and the two sides of the track were separated by a raised median termed the spina. Statues of various gods were set up on the spina, and Augustus erected an Egyptian obelisk on it as well. At either end of the spina was a turning post, the meta, around which chariots made dangerous turns at speed. One end of the track extended further back than the other, to allow the chariots to line up to begin the race. Here there were starting gates, or carceres, which staggered the chariots so that each travelled the same distance to the first turn.

Very little now remains of the Circus, except for the now grass-covered racing track and the spina. Some of the starting gates remain, but most of the seating has disappeared, the materials no doubt employed for building other structures in medieval Rome.

This obelisk was removed in the 16th century by Pope Sixtus V and placed in the Piazza del Popolo. Excavation of the site began in the 19th century, followed by a partial restoration, but there are yet to be any truly comprehensive excavations conducted within its grounds.

The Circus Maximus retained the honour of being the first and largest circus in Rome, but it was not the only example: other Roman circuses included the Circus Flaminius (in which the Ludi Plebeii were held) and the Circus of Maxentius.

The Circus still entertains occasionally the Romans. The Rome concert of Live 8 in July 2, 2005 was celebrated there.

Domus :
A domus was the form of house in ancient Rome and all the cities of the Empire that rich patrician families owned. (The middle classes and the poor were housed in crowded tenement blocks, the insulae.) The domus included multiple rooms, and two courtyards: the atrium, which was the focal point of the domus, off which were cubicula (bedrooms) an altar to one of the household gods, a triclinium where guests could lie on couches and eat dinner while lying down, and a tablinum (Living room, sometimes called the study) and shops on the outside, facing the street.

In cities, throughout the Roman Empire wealthy homeowner lived in one story building with few exterior windows. This was to prevent noises coming from the streets. Wealthy homeowners' often rented out the two front rooms of their home to merchants if they lived on busy streets. A wealthy Roman citizen lived in a large house separated into two parts, and linked together through the tablinum or study or by a small passageway.

The main entrance to the house would face the street, consisting of a double-door, behind which a short passageway gave into the atrium. The atrium was the most important part of the house, where guests and dependents were greeted. It usually had of a small mosaic on the floor around the impluvium. The atrium was high ceilinged and often consisted of sparse furnishings to give the effect of a lot of space. In the center of the ceiling was a square opening called the compluvium in which rainwater could come in, draining inwards from the slanted tiled roof. Directly below the compluvium was the impluvium, a shallow rectangular pool to gather rainwater, which was often lined with marble,

Surrounding the atrium were arranged the master's families' main rooms: the small cubicula or bedrooms, the tablinum or study, and the triclinium or dining-room. Only two objects were present in the atrium of Caecilius in Pompeii: a small bronze box that stored precious family items and the lararium, a small shrine to the household gods, the Lares. In the master bedroom was a small wooden bed and couch which usually consisted of some slight padding. In each of the other bedrooms were usually just a bed. The triclinium had three couches surrounding a table. The triclinium often was similar in size to the master bedroom. The study/tablinum was used as a passageway If the master of the house was a banker or merchant the tablinum often was larger because of the more need for materials.

The back part of the house was centered around the peristyle much as the front centered on the atrium. The peristylium was a small garden often surrounded by a columned passage, the model of the medieval cloister. Surrounding the peristyle were the bathrooms, kitchen and summer triclinium. The kitchen was usually a very small room with a small counter of sorts and a wood-burning stove. The wealthy had a slave who worked as a cook and spent nearly all their time in the kitchen. During a hot summer day the family ate their meals in the summer triclinium because it was warm. Most of the light came from the compluvium and the open peristylium.

Insulae :
In Roman architecture, insulae were large apartment buildings where the lower and middle classes dwelled. The floor at ground level was used for shops and business with living space on the upper floors.

Insulae were often built poorly and were prone to fire and collapse. It is because of this that the uppermost floors were the least desirable, and thus the cheapest to rent.

Emperor Nero set a height limit of 60 feet after the Great fire of Rome.

Roads :
The Romans, for military, commercial and political reasons, became adept at constructing roads, which they called viae (plural of singular via). The word is related to English way and weigh, as to weigh anchor. The Indo-European root, *wegh-, with a palatal g, becomes *wegh- with a gutteral g in the centum languages, including Latin. It means "to go" with the sense of transporting in a vehicle. Via comes from the suffixed form, *wegh-ya. Viae were thus always intended primarily as carriage roads, the means of carrying material from one location to another.

The Roman roads were essential for the growth of their empire, by enabling them to move armies speedily and by sustaining land transport for Roman mercantilism. A proverb says that "all roads lead to Rome". Roman roads were designed that way to hinder provinces organising resistance against the Empire. At its peak, the Roman road system spanned 53,000 miles and contained about 372 links.

These long highways were very important in maintaining both the stability and expansion of the empire. The legions made good time on them, and some are still used millennia later. In late Antiquity, the same roads, by offering avenues of invasion to the barbarians, contributed to Roman military reverses.

Roman Forum :
The Roman Forum (Forum Romanum, although the Romans referred to it more often as the Forum Magnum or just the Forum) was the central area around which ancient Rome developed, in which commerce, business, prostitution, cult and the administration of justice took place. Here the communal hearth was located. Sequences of remains of paving show that sediment eroded from the surrounding hills was already raising the level of the forum in early Republican times. Originally it had been marshy ground, which was drained by the Tarquins with the Cloaca Maxima. Its final travertine paving, still to be seen, dates from the reign of Augustus.

It is now famous for the remains, which eloquently show the use of urban spaces during the Roman Age. The Roman Forum includes the following major monuments, buildings and other ancient ruins:

• Temple of Castor and Pollux
• Temple of Jupiter
• Temple of Romulus
• Temple of Saturn
• Temple of Vesta
• Temple of Venus and Roma
• Basilica Aemilia
• Basilica Julia
• Arch of Septimius Severus
• Arch of Titus
• Rostra, from where politicians made their speeches to the Roman citizens.
• Curia, the site of the Roman Senate.
• Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine
• Tabularium

Roman Villas :
Upper class, wealthy Roman Citizens in the countryside around Rome and throughout the Empire lived in villa-complexes, the accommodation for rural farms.

The villa-complex consisted of three parts.

The "Villa Urbana" where the owner and his family lived. This would be similar to the wealthy-person's domus in the city and would have painted walls and artistic mosaics on the floors.

The "Villa Rustica" where the staff and slaves of the villa worked and lived. This was also the living quarters for the farms animals. There would usually be other rooms here that might be used as store rooms, a hospital and even a prison!

The third part of the villa-complex would be the storage rooms. These would be where the products of the farm were stored ready for transport to buyers. Storage rooms here would have been used for Oil, Wine, Grain, Grapes and any other produce of the villa. Other rooms in the villa might include an office, a temple for worship, several bedrooms, a dining room and a kitchen.

Villas were often plumbed with running water and many would have had under-floor central heating known as a "hypocaust".

A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class. According to Pliny, there were two kinds of villas, the villa urbana, which was a country seat that could easily be reached from Rome (or another city) for a night or two, and the villa rustica, the farm-house estate, permanently occupied by the servants who had charge generally of the estate, which would center on the villa itself, perhaps only seasonally occupied. There were a concentration of Imperial villas near the Bay of Naples, especially on the Isle of Capri, at Monte Circeo on the coast and at Antium (Anzio). Wealthy Romans escaped the summer heat in the hills round Rome, especially around Frascati (cf Hadrian's Villa). Cicero is said to have possessed no less than seven villas, the oldest of which was near Arpinum, which he inherited. Pliny the Younger had three or four, of which the example near Laurentium is the best known from his descriptions.

Roman writers refer with satisfaction to the self-sufficiency of their villas, where they drank their own wine and pressed their own oil, a symptom of the increasing economic fragmentation of the Roman empire. When complete working villas were donated to the Christian church, they served as the basis for monasteries that survived the disruptions of the Gothic War and the Lombards. An outstanding example of such a villa-turned-monastery was Monte Cassino.

Temples :
Originally in Roman paganism, a templum was not (necessarily) a cultic building but any ritually marked observation site for natural henomena belived to allow predictions, such as the flight of birds (see Augurs). Later the word was mainly used for the equivalent of Greek and other temples.

The numbers and architecture of Roman temples reflect the city's receptivity to all the religions of the world. The oldest Roman temples reflect Etruscan temples, like the great temple on the Capitoline Hill, dedicated in 509 BC to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, the Capitoline Triad. Like its Etruscan models the Roman temple was raised on a high podium and could only be approached by steps across the front of the building in contrast to the common arrangement for Greek temples, whose steps run around all four sides. The facade also differed from Greek models -- the columned porch was deeper than those of most Greek temples -- 6 columns deep -- and was only on the front of the building. The interior was divided into several large rooms for the cult statues.

The most noteworthy temples of Rome were the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, the father of the Roman divinities, and the Pantheon. The Pantheon was built between AD 117 to 128 by Emperor Hadrian and dedicated to all the gods; this building replaced a smaller temple built by the general and statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. The Pantheon became a Christian church in 607 and is now an Italian national monument, the burial place of Raphael and several of the kings of united Italy.

Thermae (Public Baths) :
Most Roman cities had at least one, if not many, such buildings, which were centers of public bathing and socialization. Upper-class romans would usually visit daily, lower-class people about once a week.

The word thermae is a Latin borrowing from the Greek adjective thermos, therme, thermon (hot).

Within the building the baths were divided according to gender. Each gender had three pools: a hot one, a lukewarm one and a cool one. They were respectively called:

• the caldarium (L. cal(i)dus, -a,-um "hot" cf. calor orig, calos, caloris m)
• the tepidarium (L. tepidus,-a,-um "lukewarm" cf. L. tepeo)
• the frigidarium (Latin frigidus,-a,-um "cold")
• sometimes there was also a steam bath: the sudatorium

The changing room was known as the apotyterium (Greek apotyterion, apo + duo "to take off" here of clothing).

Taken from Wikipedia